Sam Houston State has been predicted to finish third in the 2014 Southland Conference men's basketball race according to the annual preseason vote of the league's head coaches and SIDs.

The coaches tabbed Sam Houston State third and Stephen F. Austin fourth, while the SIDs had the Bearkats and Lumberjacks tying for third. SFA, which played in the NIT for the second time in its history, received the final first-place vote from the SIDs.

Northwestern State, which won the Southland Conference tournament last season, is the preseason favorite. Oral Roberts was selected to finish second in both polls and received two first-place votes in the coaches’ poll and three in the SID poll.

Senior forward James Thomas, a preseason second-team all-conference honoree, is one of four returning starters for the Bearkats, who tied for fifth in last season’s standings at 8-10 and were 17-17 overall.

In the coaches’ poll, McNeese was picked fifth, followed by Southeastern Louisiana sixth and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi seventh. Nicholls, Central Arkansas, Lamar take the 8-9-10 spots in the poll followed by newcomers New Orleans and Houston Baptist, picked 11th and 12th, respectively. The SIDs had Southeastern finishing fifth and McNeese State sixth with A&M-Corpus Christi, Nicholls, Lamar, UCA, New Orleans and Houston Baptist rounding out the poll.

Since both Abilene Christian and UIW will not play a full slate of league games in their first year of transition into Division I, they were not eligible to be picked in the preseason polls. Additionally, neither team is eligible for postseason play until 2017-18.

The 2013-14 season begins Friday, Nov. 8 with conference play starting up Jan. 2. The top eight teams based on conference winning percentage earn berths to the 2014 Southland Conference Basketball Tournament March 12-15, at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.